Health Pan
CIGNA ~ Network Issue 2
More on Cigna Specialty Network, Effective Jan. 1, 2006
Maine Medicine Weekly Update
September 12, 2005
"The CIGNA Care Network enables employers to offer a network benefit plan option to their employees while encouraging the use of providers who meet or exceed quality of care and/or efficiency measures by offering lower copayments to members for choosing a CIGNA Care Network designated provider. The CIGNA Care Network will grow from eight to sixteen markets, including Maine, on January 1, 2006. All members will continue to have access to the current broad CIGNA network. The benefit plan design gives members the option to choose specialists designated as a CIGNA Care Network providers or they can select an in-network or out of network specialist for a higher co-payment amount.
CCN designation applies to 21 specialties that account for approximately 95 percent of total specialty care and 60 percent of all medical/pharmacy spending. Designation as a CIGNA Care Network provider is based on several widely accepted measurements, including board certification, performance against national quality standards established by the Ambulatory Care Quality Alliance to ensure that those who rank approximately the top five percent receive CCN designation. Specialists recognized by the NCQA in heart, stroke or diabetes care automatically receive CCN designation. Efficiency measures are based on Episode Treatment Group methodology, an industry standard. The 21 specialties reviewed include:
| Allery / Immunology
Cardiology Cardiovascular Surgery Colon and Rectal Surgery Dermatology Endocrinology Gasteoenterology |
General Surgery
Hematology / Oncology Infectious Disease Nephrology Neurology Neurosurgery Obstetrics / Gynecology |
Otolaryngology
Ophthalmology Orthopedics Pulmonary Medicine Theumatology Urology Vascular Surgery |
CIGNA is committed to providing its members with robust information to help them make health care decisions particularly as we employers move more toward consumer directed health care products. In addition to information about specialists, CIGNA HealthCare also provides members a 24-hour Health Information Line, personalized health coaching through its CIGNA Health AdvisorSM program and access to WebMD Health's comprehensive suite of online health tools including an online health risk assessment.
CIGNA HealthCare looks forward to continuing our dialogue with the Maine Medical Association and Maine physicians as we roll out CCN."